Includes "Introduction"; "Impact of Research on Manufacturing SMEs"; "Technology Acquisition and the Changing Face of Manufacturing Industry"; "Enabling Continuous Improvement of New Product Development Processes"; "Innovation and SMEs"; "A Decision Support System for the Initiation of…

Examined publication and citation data to assess the contribution of Australian educational research to major international journals and assessed the relevance of educational research to teaching practice and educational policy. Australia makes a significant contribution to international educational research, and Australian educational research is…

Explores the "field" as the critical initiator of all aspects of the research agenda in anthropology and education, focusing on the site of the work instead of the academy as the center point of power in anthropological investigation. (SLD)

This article presents a rationale for incorporating elements of participatory research approaches into intervention research intended to improve practice. After an overview of the research-to-practice problem, it illustrates how the incorporation of participatory research approaches applied to various decision points can enhance the construction…

John Dewey and the National Research Council NRC both discuss the problem of translating scientific research into contexts of schooling, but differ about the proper solution to the problem. The NRC would solve it by empirical investigation. Dewey finds value in that approach, but also wants educational theorists to construct general heuristics to…

To have an impact on student achievement, librarians must first find ways to educate kids who are steeped in an information-rich world--and then use research to show other educators how libraries make a difference in learning. Today's students live in an information-rich "cocoon" that most librarians did not grow up in, said David Loertscher,…

Formative feedback systems live at the heart of systemic school improvement efforts. Without accurate and timely information on the results of intended interventions, school leaders and teachers fly blind in their efforts to link what they expect to what actually happens in their schools. This paper draws on the results of a 5-year National…

A project team from the Program Evaluation and Methodology Division of the U.S. General Accounting Office was asked to review recent research on education and summarize the findings for policymakers. This paper captures the team's reflections on the utility of education research for policymakers and others interested in improving schools. The…

Universities and colleges are a critical component of the nation's research system. The availability and condition of research facilities at these institutions influence the ability of scientists and engineers to conduct research and train the future science and engineering work force. To insure that information regarding these institutions is…

Suggesting that the contention that phonemic awareness must be taught directly and that children need explicit systematic instruction in phonics is less of a scientific "fact" than an exercise in political persuasion, this book presents the story of the political campaign that is taking place to change the minds of Americans about how…

This paper rebuts four common assumptions underlying criticisms of higher education policy scholarship and policy making. The first assumption, policymakers agree on the nature of policy problems and therefore on the kinds of research needed, is rebutted by noting that actually, there is no way to identify and research all possible future policy…

The process by which five national organizations making up the State Education Policy Consortium meet their members' information needs is examined in this paper. The study sought to improve information services to state policymakers and to strengthen national organizations' dissemination capacity. During May through June 1984, interviews were…

This paper elaborates on the concept of "linkage"--the utilization of educational research information--as implemented by the Documentation and Technical Assistance (DTA) Project, a program designed to enhance the problem solving capacity of urban schools. The paper begins with an overview of the DTA project and discusses the educational…

The ICD Research Utilization Laboratory received a five-year RSA grant in 1970 to act as a catalytic interface between research and practice for the rehabilitation of special client populations. The present thrust is to demonstrate how management practices can be improved in programs for vocationally vulnerable populations. This article describes…

A research study comparing vocational success of proprietary schools and public community college graduates, serves to demonstrate the distortion of research findings when those findings are contrary to the expectations of special interest groups and its effect on public policy. (KE)